Roles reversed for Weber, Zook

In just one year, times have changed for Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber and football coach Ron Zook.

John Supinie

In just one year, times have changed for Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber and football coach Ron Zook.

At the Springfield stop Thursday on the four-city Illinois Meet and Greet Tour, fans still enthusiastically cheered for "Br-u-u-u-ce'' when Weber was introduced, despite the first losing season in his 10 years as a college head coach. But Illinois' turnaround in football put Zook's popularity at another level.

Replied Zook: "I'm not the lead act. . … We were the one program that wasn't holding up their end of the bargain. Now the whole athletic department is where it's supposed to be.''

While Weber's Illini want to rebound from a 16-19 season that ended with an uplifting run to the Big Ten Conference tournament title game, Zook's Illini already have appeared in preseason top 25 rankings after a 9-4 season that finished with the school's first Rose Bowl trip in 24 years.

Interest remains high in both programs. Illinois expects Assembly Hall to remain a sellout for men's basketball essentially through season ticket sales. Illinois likely will add another 5,000 new football season ticket orders this season and sell 40,000 season tickets in a stadium that will hold roughly 65,000 after renovations are completed.

After Illinois sold out four games last season, the Illini may sell out all six home games this year. Single-game tickets go on sale July 22.

Zook's challenge is motivating the Illini, who have gone from the hunter to the hunted. Illinois is ranked No. 16 by Athlon, a preseason college football magazine. Illinois is expected to find a spot in the major preseason rankings heading into the season opener against Missouri on Aug. 30 in St. Louis.

"You have to educate them,'' Zook said of his players. "The seniors already said they don't want to be the class that goes back to the way it was. (They) want to be the class to continue it.''

The reception for Weber "has been a little bit surprising, to be honest,'' Weber said.

"It really helped that we did well in the Big Ten tournament,'' he said. "Right away, people even here tonight said, 'You finished good.' That was a positive. Some people felt sorry for us.

"If you analyze it and all the things that happened over the last two years, a lot of them were uncontrollable. People who are good basketball fans know you could have had (Eric) Gordon, Jamar (Smith), Quinton Watkins. So many factors that come into play, and you couldn't control them.''

Possible expansion of the Ubben Basketball Complex could help Weber in recruiting and practicing. Weber and athletic director Ron Guenther met Wednesday about adding another practice court, enlarging the weight room, expanding the training room and creating more storage space in a building that was completed in 1998.

An announcement could come later this year, when Guenther reveals plans about renovating Assembly Hall or building a new basketball arena.

"We were one of the first ones to have a basketball complex,'' Weber said. "Everyone came and looked at ours. They've taken it to another level. Now, do we need to do it? (Guenther) saved some money back. There are a few things to do, such as adding another court.

"We need a bigger weight room, maybe expand the training room. We don't have any storage. (Basketball operations assistant Rod Cardinal) is still storing stuff underneath Huff (Hall). I don't know where he hides it all.''

NOTES: Illinois' promotional tour will make stops in Bloomington on June 4 and East Peoria on June 19. Openings remain for both events, but registration is necessary at www.fightingillini.com.

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